Many sun-seeking travellers may find themselves confused, if not disoriented, when they disembark from their aircraft upon landing at Key West International Airport, Florida (IATA: EYW/ICAO: KEYW), and see a sign reading 'Welcome to the Conch Republic'. Evidently, some 30 years ago Key West residents proclaimed themselves 'independent' from the USA in a partly jocular response to patrols by the US Army looking for illegal immigrants who may have made the 90mi (145km) journey from Cuba during the height of the Cold War. Key West residents felt they were being treated like foreign nationals, so they decided to label themselves thus.
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